Best Value Performance Cars
Gallery 14
Aussies love driving, partly because the open road is therapy in times like these.
Despite the nation’s finances, there are people still buying cars for drift, rather than entirely for thrift, factor. In fact, the fast car business here is booming. Every third Mercedes-Benz C-Class sold is wearing either a 43 or 63 badge.
We are among the greediest for Renault Sport models. And we’ve propelled the Toyota 86 into a sales success as its third most popular market.
Well, the blocks that make up Bang For Your Bucks haven’t changed much since its introduction in 1994; there’s a field of cars, a set of judges, and an infamous formula. And like any good game, it’s made up by a whole lot of rules.
Next, we fence off the event with a $100,000 price cap, because Lamborghini Aventador customers aren’t really concerned with their water bill prices. We also restrict entry to performance cars, as even a P-Plater would rather take the bus than drive a Suzuki Alto.
Nope, we’re looking for freshly baked drivetrains, newly budded differentials, or drastically shaven kerb weights. Price changes, too, will grant a car entry if it’s boosted its competitiveness.
Like last year, we’ve split the field at $50K. And after slaying Audi’s RS3 Sportback and dusting off BMW’s M2 last year, AMG’s manic A45 faces new foes just as tough – maybe even tougher – in the $50K to $100K category.
Of course, those less well-endowed in the Bucks department are always going to fare better than one with a heftier swing attached to its door mirror, but there’s a couple of contenders this year that are almost born to do well in an annual test that’s now in its 23rd year (incidentally, that’s the same length of time since David Morley visited a barber).
Its short, sharp nature draws out the best – and worst – from a chassis, while its short straights highlight power deficiencies quick smart.
After that, our resident hot shoe, Luff, will pedal each car around the twisty, tricky Winton layout as only a Supercars race winner can.
Our remaining judges will use Winton not as a measure of how fast they can bury a car in a sandtrap, but as a venue to objectively sample each entrant on its relative merit in an appropriately safe way, and their opinions will make up 20 per cent of a car’s total.
However, that’s enough background. Let’s find out what motley mass of metal has fronted up in 2017 to an uncharacteristically dry and sunny Winton to stand up and be banged? And, er, bucked?
Our sub-$50K contenders
Fiat 124 Spider Challenged by a relatively high price but brings the extra herbs to compensate
Holden Astra RS Harder charging turbo 1.6-litre and lightened chassis ripen it for competition
Holden Commodore SS Ute Tops the $0-$50K price list at $43,900, so it’ll need to be seriously fast to compensate
Hyundai i30 SR Scores Veloster SR-spec turbo engine in all-new generation update. Slight dark horse
Subaru BRZ Will rely on unique suspension tweaks to overcome its $3K price premium over the 86 GT
Skoda Octavia RS230 sedan Sneaks in the Golf GTI Performance’s LSD-tamed 169kW drivetrain for $5K less
Toyota 86 GT Updated car ups price, but is still the cheapest ticket to 86’s uprated engine and fettled chassis
Volkswagen Polo GTI Defending outright champ is back and still a genuine threat with 1.8-litre turbo four
Our $50K-$100K contenders
Ford Focus RS If this were a horse race, the Focus would be an unbackable favourite. No Cup tyres today, though
Mini JCW Clubman The latest iteration of John Cooper’s finest works is the biggest Mini ever
Holden Commodore SS-V Redline Ute It’s time to farewell an icon of BFYB – and we can’t think of a better way
Caterham Seven 275 Could this lightweight, retro-tech British beauty bring something new to the BFYB party?
BMW M140i New engine for our BFYB 2015 class champ – will it be what it needs to nab outright honours?
Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce The reputation of a reborn brand rests on its pumped guards
Mercedes-AMG A45 A ferocious four-paw feral dressed in a Paul Smith suit. Back to crack skulls in 2016
Audi S4 Four-door sophistication that cleverly hides a surprising turn of speed and chassis talent
